A system for identifying a location of a device includes a first antenna mounted to a plug. The first antenna surrounds one or more prongs of the plug, and the plug has a memory that stores a device ID. A second antenna receives the device ID from the first antenna when the plug is coupled to a power outlet. A controller uses a communication module to wirelessly transfer the device ID and a power outlet ID to a computer server. The computer server uses the device ID and the power outlet ID to determine the location of the device within a building.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for identifying a location of a device, the system comprising: a first antenna associated with a plug of the device, the first antenna mounted on the plug and having a coil shape that surrounds one or more prongs of the plug or is bounded by the one or more prongs on at least two sides, the one or more prongs extending out of the plug, and the plug having a memory that stores a device ID; a second antenna that receives the device ID from the first antenna when the plug is coupled to a power outlet; and a controller that receives the device ID from the second antenna, and that uses a communication module to wirelessly transfer the device ID and a power outlet ID identifying the power outlet to a computer server.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer server includes a processor and memory, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer server to use the device ID and the power outlet ID to determine the location of the device within a building.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna is a part of a circuit that is not wired to a power source, and the second antenna is part of a circuit that actively powers the first antenna to transfer the device ID to the second antenna.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are each connected to separate circuits that generate alternating radio frequency fields that allow the first antenna and the second antenna to wirelessly communicate with one another according to a peer-to-peer protocol.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second antenna is embedded in an adapter that connects to the power outlet, the adapter having at least one socket that receives the one or more prongs of the plug, and the second antenna having a coil shape that surrounds the at least one socket in the adapter.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the adapter includes prongs that are insertable into at least one socket in the power outlet, and the adapter provides an electrical connection between the plug and the power outlet.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna transfers the device ID to the second antenna when spaced by 4 cm or less from the second antenna.
8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the controller and the communication module are embedded in a front surface of the adapter.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second antenna is embedded in a faceplate of the power outlet, the power outlet having at least one socket that receives the one or more prongs of the plug, and the faceplate having at least one opening that surrounds the at least one socket of the power outlet, wherein the second antenna has a coil shape that surrounds the at least one opening in the faceplate.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller and the communication module are embedded in a faceplate of the power outlet.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the device is a hospital bed.
12. A hospital bed comprising: a power cord having at one end a plug and one or more prongs extending from the plug that are configured to couple the plug to a power outlet, and a first antenna mounted on the plug where the one or more prongs extend from the plug, the first antenna having a coil shape that surrounds the one or more prongs of the plug or is bounded by the one or more prongs on at least two sides, and the first antenna is a near-field communication antenna having a memory that stores a device ID transferrable to a second antenna when the first antenna is proximate the second antenna, the device ID being usable by a computer server to determine the location of the hospital bed within a building.
13. The hospital bed of claim 12 , wherein the first antenna is a passive near-field communication antenna that transfers the device ID to the second antenna when spaced by 4 cm or less from the second antenna.
14. The hospital bed of claim 12 , wherein the first antenna is connected to a circuit that generates a radio frequency field that allows the first antenna to wirelessly communicate with the second antenna according to a peer-to-peer protocol.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
October 31, 2019
March 23, 2021
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